updated 12:05 am EDT, Tue August 30, 2011

Samsung Wave 3, M, Y unveil early

Samsung confirmed part of its IFA launch plans early Tuesday with the launch of three Bada 2.0-running smartphones. The Wave 3 headlines the group with a four-inch Super AMOLED screen like the Galaxy S, a 1.4GHz processor, 14.4Mbps HSPA for 3G, and a five-megapixel camera. Although it has an aluminum body, it weighs a light 0.27 pounds, and it ships with the new ChatON messaging along with Wi-Fi Direct support.

The Wave M appropriately sits at the mid tier and has a 3.65-inch, 320x480 display and a more modest 832MHz chip, although it still has the same five-megapixel camera. Its body is also made of metal, although Samsung didn't say if this was aluminum. NFC is optional but hasn't been explained.

At the entry level, the Wave Y is built for those who are first-time smartphone owners, with the same performance but just a 3.2-inch, 320x480 display and a two-megapixel camera.

Samsung hasn't said when the phones ship or if there are differences in software. Bada 2 brings both a better interface closer to TouchWiz 4 from its Android devices along with new-to-Bada multitasking, an HTML5-capable web browser, app shortcuts, and voice commands.